McAdoo wrong to go fourth
A DAY after a crushing 27-24 loss to the Eagles to drop the Giants to 0-3, Ben McAdoo was kicking himself over one particular play.
Right before halftime, the Giants trailed 7-0 but had a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line and McAdoo decided to go for the TD. He called a running play to Orleans Darkwa, but the running back was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage and the Giants entered the half scoreless.
“We need to put points on the board in the green zone and I need to do a better job at that as well,” he said in a conference call Monday. “I need a better call there on the fourth down from the 1-yard line.”
Yet, McAdoo would not specifically say that going for it instead of kicking the field goal was the wrong call. Rather, he only acknowledged it was a play he “would like to have back,” pointing to the fact the Eagles were better prepared than they were. “I think they had better angles than we had,” McAdoo said. “Getting into something that gives you a little better chance, little better angles. Put the big guys in a bad spot there.”
Another unusual thing about that play was that fullback Shane Smith was not there as an extra blocker. Smith was not used at all in the offense on Sunday.
“They were all hunkered down in there whether you had a fullback on the field or not,” McAdoo said. “It was going to be tough sledding. I would like to have the call back. We did have some opportunities for one-on-ones on the outside. I take responsibility for that call.”
While the Giants managed to put themselves in position to win with a big fourth quarter, the fourth-and-1 from the goal line was a microcosm for why the Giants now stand at 0-3. The questionable decisionmaking, poor blocking, poor running and failure to make a big play have played an integral role in what has plagued the Giants through the first three weeks.
Now they head to Tampa Bay to face a 1-1 Buccaneers team and try to right the ship, but history is not on the Giants side.
Since the 1970 merger, just five teams have reached the playoffs after an 0-3 start.
“Number one, we can’t worry about the playoffs this week,” McAdoo said. “We have to get a win. That’s number one. We can’t accomplish going to the playoffs or getting a playoff berth or anything like that this week ... We can only focus on what we can control and that’s the way we prepare.”
But with a team that had Super Bowl aspirations heading into the season, starting 0-3 could be demoralizing, and the schedule does not get much better.